Mobile Phones Guide

Hands-on with HTC Windows Phone 7 Devices

Hands-on with HTC Windows Phone 7 Devices

As a show of its strong partnership with Microsoft, HTC has also announced three Windows Phone 7 devices to be launched in the early days of November. This includes the mammoth HTC HD7, the flagship model and successor to its previous HTC HD2 sibling. On the lower (but equally impressive) spectrum, we have two new entries in the Windows Phone 7 lineup - the HTC 7 Mozart and HTC 7 Trophy.

HTC HD7 Hands-on

Following its HD lineage, you can expect the HD7 to be a colossal multimedia device. You'll find a similarly sized 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen to fulfill your mobile video needs. At this size, the HD7 is a device that will take the full size of your palm to behold, but fortunately it doesn't have the weight or the girth of a giant device. Like the recently introduced HTC Desire HD, the HD7 will also come with Dolby Mobile and SRS surround sound for maximum audio enjoyment. This, on top of the 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 16GB internal storage and an impressive 768MB RAM to run the show, is a definite winning combination. Surprisingly, it's not asking for an arm and leg at the moment and it's retail price is set for S$938.

While you won't get an absolute remodeling of the Windows Phone 7 interface, you'll find an app known as HTC Hub that brings up an alternative user interface. From what we've seen, you'll be dazzled by its 3D-like user interface, which was surprisingly smooth and thus showcased the prowess of its processor and memory. Though it is a separate user interface, HTC Hub has a tight integration with Windows Phone 7, giving you direct access to all the features and functions of the Microsoft mobile platform with just a few easy clicks.

HTC 7 Mozart

The HTC Hub isn't just one of the apps that will be provided on HTC Windows Phone 7 devices out of the box. Due to our limited time with the demo sets, we'll have to give a more detailed overview of the various additional features when we receive the test units. But one thing's for sure, you'll get the same HTC Hub across all HTC Windows Phone 7 devices, thus bringing us to both the HTC 7 Mozart and HTC 7 Trophy.

According to HTC, the Mozart puts design as its core focus, adopting the unibody design that has been seen on the HTC Legend and Desire HD. Besides the single-aluminum clad concept, the Mozart is also built with a 3.7-inch screen, and enhances its imaging capabilities with an 8-megapixel camera and Xenon flash. To sweeten the deal, the Mozart will also come with an 8GB internal storage and will retail for a relatively cheaper price of S$868 (compared to the HD7).

HTC 7 Trophy

To prove that HTC is serious in the Windows Phone 7 arena, there's also a mass-market device dubbed as the HTC 7 Trophy. Adhering to Microsoft's stipulated requirements, the Trophy will also sport a 1GHz processor and comes with a slightly larger screen than the Mozart at 3.8-inches. However, you'll get a tamer imaging function with a 5-megapixel camera complemented with an LED flash. Although it's marketed as a mass-market device, at a recommended retail price of S$798, it's not as mass of a price point we would have liked. Lets hope the telcos can do something about that soon with their price plans.